The Shifters: Katrina

We didn't waste time. I told Willa and Shae what I had done, as in what I'd done to get Koren to start planning to invade Orgull, and sent them off to inform my friends, the other masters, and the guards. The elites already knew, which meant that were already well aware that we may end up going to fight as soon as tomorrow.

I ran alone, heading for Coraline. The leader was sitting on her desk when I rushed in, practicing her own abilities. The air around her swirled, four miniature tornadoes hovering around her head.

"Katrina," she muttered, her eyes shut, "what's wrong this time?"

"I got attacked," I told her, crossing my arms. "Someone tried to kill me."

Coraline hopped down immediately, her entire body tense. Her pupils even began to transform into slits, as if she planned on taking on her cheetah form and hunting down my attacker. "Do you know who?"

I shook my head. "I couldn't see anything, I had to save myself."

She pursed her lips, forcibly relaxing. "Alright. Then, what do you need me for?"

"...We need to stop Xavier. And soon. Also, the person who attacked me... They used the element of water. So, not only are they from Iluita, but they're also a water shifter."

"Another betrayal..."

I avoided her eyes, staring out the window behind her. My hands curled into fists, my mind flashing to Sonya, and my fight with her.

"You don't get my struggles, Katrina."

But did she even get mine?

"Katrina."

I broke out of my stupor, perking up and glancing back at Coraline. "Yes?"

"I'll order everyone to get ready to hold down Iluita," she told me, "which means that I'll bring the children into this building and use a small team to protect it. That way if something goes wrong, the people in the compound are still protected. It also gives me a job that will keep me far away from Xavier."

Not if my dream is correct.

I'm sorry, Coraline.

"So," she continued, "once you and Koren are ready... You can leave for Orgull. Just give me a heads up beforehand so I can move everyone into position."

"Alright... But I have one other question."

My footsteps echoed in the empty halls, the dim lighting leaving shadows across the floor. My breath hitched as I stopped outside the cell, my hair falling over my shoulder and into my face. It tickled my nose, but I didn't move. I felt frozen, staring at the form on the bed.

My mother was motionless, sitting with her back facing the cell bars. Her hair was knotted beyond repair, her skin pale and dirty. Most of her muscle mass was gone, her entire body looking like it was sagging off her bones. She looked lifeless.

I hoped what I was about to do would bring some life back to her.

"Marie."

Her head lifted, as if shocked. The woman twisted around, using her skinny arms to support herself.

"I'm surprised you came to visit me again," she murmured. "What wisdom from your enemy do you need now?"

I shook my head. "This time, I'm doing something for you."

Distrust and fear filled her expression. I wrapped my hands around the bars of her cell, locating the ones made of ice. They melted like puddy, allowing me to step through. My mother tensed, glaring at me like I was her executioner.

How our relationship has changed...

Looking at her frightened face, I could only think of one thing.

"If I could, I'd put you down like a rabid pet, sweetheart. I love you enough to do that."

Part of me wondered what I'd do now. I had an option, after all.

"What's the question, Katrina?"

"I want to let my mo--Marie go."

"Why in the ever loving hell would you do that?"

"Because she can't help us anymore."

"She's still a hunter."

"I..."

"I'll give you a choice. She can die by your hand, or you can send her back to Greenhill with a broken arm. That way, she can't fight."

Coraline's words hung in my mind with a haunting air to them. The choice I had to make was one I wish I had ignored.

Either kill my own mother, or send her back to my family with something broken.

...Put me down like a rabid pet...

That's what she'd do.

Or is it?

"We're going to attack Xavier soon..," I told her, standing a foot away from her bed. "So I came to let you go. Go back to Greenhill. Don't hunt anymore."

"I can't do that," she croaked. "Once a hunter, always a hunter."

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. My teeth sunk into my lower lip, Marie's green eyes widening.

"If you don't go back, if you keep hunting, then I have to kill you."

The woman sighed. She got to her feet, using a nearby chair to hold herself up. Her legs were weak, wobbling as she hobbled toward me.

For once, I didn't feel the need to recoil. My mother grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight.

"I thought... I thought that if I managed to destroy all the compounds in this region, then none of them would come for you," she murmured, her own eyes swimming with tears. They sparkled like emeralds, drawing my attention as she finally found the strength to stand on her own. She held my face in her hands, looking up at me.

"I'm finally taller than you..."

She laughed, her first tear slipping down her face. "It's about time."

I reached up, holding onto one of her hands. "You think I'm a monster. You tried to hurt me."

Marie Roberts swallowed her guilt, owning up to her actions.

"I've always been afraid of you. I thought you'd hurt Felix, Mia or Raymond. I wanted you gone, but the other hunters knew controlling a child might be easier than fighting an adult. So I kept you," she explained, her voice thick, "and I started to love you, even when you showed signs of being aggressive. I didn't want you dead, and I couldn't stand the idea of a compound taking you."

"But one did..."

She nodded. "Iluita took you, so I had to get you back. The police would've never found a compound of shifters -- it had to be hunters. But they wouldn't rescue a shapeshifter, so it became an attack. Xavier wanted Iluita to fall anyway."

Pain stabbed at my heart. My own tears rolling down my cheeks and to my chin. I sniffled, my mother's thumb brushing away the trail.

"So I attacked. And you stopped me--"

"--and you told me what a disappointment I was. What a danger," I snarled, shoving her away from me. She stumbled, grabbing the same chair for balance.

"Katrina..."

"Do you hate me or do you love me?" I demanded. "You never stuck to one. Am I a monster or your daughter, Marie?!"

"You're both!"

I gritted my teeth.

"You're my daughter, Katrina. But you're a monster, too. Even for the shifters. You... Are impossible."

I held back a sob, clenching my jaw.

She's told me worse.

"Katrina..," Marie murmured. She reached for me once again, but I took a step back.

"Stop hunting," I ordered. "Then this can all be behind us."

The woman fixed her determined stare on me. She forced herself to stand straight.

"I love you, Katrina. And I'm sorry. But I can't--"

"'--And I will kill you if I have to, mother.' That's what I said."

She sucked in a breath, falling silent.

This compound... I can't let you hurt it. I'm sorry, Marie. But you're no longer the most important thing for me.

I have friends now.

Tyree's face flashed in my mind. Her perfect eyeliner, her impressive physique, and the calm aura she never lost.

A best friend who can watch my back.

Shae was next, her grin lighting up my thoughts. Her cool determination when it came to training. The way I learned to control water by watching her.

A partner in crimes that accepted me.

I saw Chloe next, the blonde waving in my memories, charcoal smeared across her hand and fingers. Just thinking about the nights we spent staying up late made me grin.

The best roomie I could ask for, who knew what to say when I needed her the most.

Rowan, Luke and Quintin followed. In my mind, they were all rough housing, but it was playful and friendly. They each had their own thing about them that drew me to them. Luke with his laid-back but reliable personality. Quintin with his charming laziness. Rowan with his fire, the one that drove him to do more.

Three boys that make my heart race, and that are always there to protect me even when I'm completely capable of protecting myself.

Kami and Molly were next, the two of them like my older sister and mother. I remembered one of our missions to find Xavier, when the three of us stopped for ice cream together. Molly had a blue tongue from hers, and Kami's was spread all over her cheeks.

A new family. Ones that guide me and accept me. I have no doubt that those two love me.

A smiling wolf with a sense of honor popped into my head next. Koren, with his sly smile and the way everyone looked up to him. Hell, even I looked up to him.

What a role model. Better than anyone back in Greenhill.

There were more faces that flashed past, but one last one was the most memorable.

Coraline.

With her freakish pink eyes, spotted skin and her sass, she had become important to me. She was a leader, someone who could give me freedom while also taking control. She let me stay in this compound -- in a way, Coraline gave me a new life. And now, I was stepping up to the plate to protect Iluita in her stead.

The one who gave me a life I could enjoy. I could never betray her. Not now.

I looked down at my mother with narrowed eyes and a sharp expression. I was relaxed and alert all at once. Power rested at the edge of my consciousness, and confidence flooded my systems.

"So do I need to follow through with my words or will you cooperate?"

She sucked in a breath.

Honestly, I was nervous too.

But I didn't need to be.

"...I want to go home, Katrina."

Hi! I'm back!

So, unless you're reading this in the future, you probably noted that I disappeared for a while. I wasn't feeling too hot about my writing, and was having trouble getting new content out, so I took a little unannounced break, which I apologize for.

However, I'm feeling much better now, so chapters will be coming out in a flurry!

The Shifters: Katrina will be ending soon, but fear not! More Shifters books are coming, and we'll see this story unfold even further.

So please remember to like the book and check out my other works! I hope you're all still enjoying the story, and thank you for reading! <3